Ministry of Health & Sanitation
The Goal of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation is to provide quality curative, preventive and promotive and rehabilitative health care services, including ensuring sustainable supply of essential medical commodities for the people of Kitui County.
Mission
To provide accessible, affordable, quality health care services to all through strengthening health systems, scaling up health interventions, partnership, and innovation and empowering communities to foster sustainable social and economic growth.
Vision
A County with healthy residents that embrace preventive health care and have access to affordable and equitable health care services.
Departments
Medical Services
This department ensures accessible, affordable, high-quality healthcare services for all citizens, through policy development, training, research, collaboration, compliance, public awareness, and technology.
Public Health and Sanitation
This department protects and promotes the health of the population by preventing and controlling the spread of diseases, ensuring access to safe and clean water, improving sanitation and hygiene practices, and promoting healthy lifestyles
Drugs and Medical Supplies Management
This department ensures access to safe, effective, and affordable medicines and medical supplies through quality assurance, availability, affordability, rational use, innovation and research, and collaboration with other agencies and organizations.
Our Responsibilities
The ministry’s core mandate is to provide quality curative, preventive and promotive and rehabilitative health care services to the people of Kitui County.
To achieve this, the ministry’s services are organized into three tiers:
Tier 1: Medical Services
- Strengthen performing of specialized professional skills and referral functions
- Improving healthcare access and quality through investing in medical facilities and infrastructure, as well as implementing quality improvement programs to enhance healthcare services
- Prioritize Universal Health Coverage (UHC)
- Strengthening healthcare workforce through training and professional development opportunities for healthcare professionals, as well as addressing workforce shortages and skill gaps
- Promoting the adoption of new technologies and practices in healthcare delivery through research
- Improve healthcare information system in liaison with the National Government and upgrade the County’s two main hospitals to teaching and referral level
- Developing and enforcing healthcare regulations and standards to ensure the safety and quality of healthcare services
- Upgrade of the existing operational health facilities at level II and III
Tier 2: Public Health and Sanitation
- Utilize Mobile clinics to bring services closer to under-served areas through mobile outreach clinics
- Work with other stakeholders to sensitize the community on sanitation and hygiene through building and upgrading of pit-latrines, using clean water
- Accelerate vaccination drives for prevention of vaccine preventable diseases
- Enhance collaboration between private sector, partners involved in health service provision
- Enhance vector control through spraying of breeding sites
- Promotion of disease surveillance activities
- Improve nutrition services to malnutrition in the County
- Promote Reproductive Maternal Child and Adolescent Health activities
- Strengthening healthcare workforce through training and professional development opportunities for healthcare professionals, as well as addressing workforce shortages and skill gaps
- Developing and implementing policies and programs to address public health issues such as epidemics, pandemics, and chronic diseases.
- Developing public health campaigns and initiatives to promote healthy behaviors and lifestyles, as well as to raise awareness about health-related issues
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Tier 3: Drugs and Medical Supplies Management
- Enhance capacity for leadership, governance and partnership
- Strengthen Human resources and capacity development in management for Health Products and Technologies supply chain
- Improve and sustain a robust Health Products and Technologies selection, quantification, procurement, warehousing, distribution, use and accountability
- Promote rational use of Health Products and Technologies and patient safety
- Improve medical equipment supplies and management
- Conduct continuous support supervision to promote accountability of commodities
- Embrace and adopt Health Information Systems for supply chain aspects of Health Products Technologies through use of an integrated HMIS to improve inventory control and revenue collection
- Embrace robust, continuous and sustainable financing for Health Products and Technologies
Achievements
HIV/AIDS prevention and control
Under the sub-programme of HIV/AIDS prevention and control, the target for the number of eligible HIV clients using ARVs was exceeded, with 24,493 clients using ARVs compared to the target of 18,750. The percentage of pregnant women counselled and tested for HIV/syphilis during ANC was only 70.2% compared to the target of 98%, due to an erratic supply of supplies. However, the percentage of HIV+ pregnant mothers receiving preventive ARVs and syphilis treatment was exceeded, with 99.5% of mothers receiving treatment compared to the target of 98%. The percentage of HIV-exposed infants (HEI) turning HIV positive was higher than the target, with 10.8% turning positive compared to the target of 5.2%.
Malaria control
The department ensured malaria medication was readily available at more health facilities than initially planned, improving access to treatment and helping to combat the disease.
Immunization and vaccines
Under immunization and vaccines, the percentage coverage of fully immunized children <1 year was 78.5% compared to the target of 85%, with coverage being affected by the COVID19 pandemic. The number of immunizing health facilities was exceeded, with 300 facilities providing immunization services compared to the target of 260.
Reproductive health, maternal, neonatal, child, adolescent health (RM)
Under reproductive health, maternal, neonatal, child, adolescent health (RM), the percentage of women with unmet needs for family planning was 56%, which is slightly better than the baseline of 55.1%. The percentage of deliveries conducted by skilled attendants exceeded the target, with 65.2% of deliveries being conducted by skilled attendants compared to the target of 50%. The number of maternity units/ wards operational was exceeded, with 70 units being operational compared to the target of 14.
Nutrition
Under nutrition, the number of children classified as overweight showed a significant increase, surpassing the target of 900 and reaching 4,275. This rise was attributed to a lack of knowledge regarding proper nutritional practices. Addressing this knowledge gap could be a key strategy in tackling childhood overweight and promoting healthier lifestyles. Encouragingly, the percentage of infants under 6 months who were exclusively breastfed increased from 70% to 80%, surpassing the set target and reaching 81.5%. This achievement highlights the success of efforts to promote and support exclusive breastfeeding practices among mothers.
Maternal health
Regarding maternal health, the percentage of pregnant women receiving Iron Folate for at least 90 days showed remarkable progress. The target of 68% was surpassed, and the achieved figure reached 81.5%. This improvement signifies the effectiveness of interventions aimed at addressing iron deficiency and promoting healthy pregnancies. The percentage of children aged 6 to 59 months receiving Vitamin A supplements twice a year witnessed substantial progress, exceeding the target of 70% and reaching 90%. This achievement indicates the successful implementation of vitamin A supplementation programs, which are vital for children’s growth and development.
Overall, the county has made progress in some areas, while others are still below the set targets due to various challenges, including inadequate funding and delayed disbursement of funds.
The Gallery
modern dispensary at Masavi in Nguni ward of Mwingi Central subcounty
Oxygen Generating Plant at Mwingi Level IV Hospital
Oxygen Generating Plant at Mwingi Level IV Hospital